Key



March 23, 1954 B, J cRAlG 2,672,747

KEY

Filed Oct. 18, 1949 Patented Mar. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICEKEY Burnie J. Craig, Los Angeles County, Calif. Application October 18,1949, Serial No. 122,003

(01. ill-406) 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a key.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved key whichincludes means permitting the key to be readily tilted so that it may begrasped without difliculty.

Conventional keys comprise a body having generally planar upper andlower faces and the construction is such that when such a key is laidupon a flat surface such as the top of a table it is difficult to pickup the key, and this is particularly difiicult where the fingers arestiff or when the hand is cold. Also, it is almost impossible to pick upsuch a key when the hand is gloved. Keys are used in connection withautomobiles and it frequently happens that the fingers of the personusing the key are cold or the hand is gloved so that awkwardness resultsand the key must be slid to the edge of the table or object on which itrests in order to be grasped.

A more specific object of the invention is therefore to provide a keywhich is so constructed that by pressing on one portion of the keyanother portion of the key will be raised so that the key may be readilyraised from the surface on which it is lying.

Another object of the invention is to provide a key having aprotuberance on each side thereof, the protuberances being so disposedthat when one side edge portion or one end edge portion is pusheddownwardly the opposite portion will move upwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a key havingprotuberances on each side thereof, with the protuberances disposedsymmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the key.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a key havingprotuberances on each face thereof, with the protuberance on one sidecomplementary to the protuberance on the other side.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the key being picked up;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the key;

Fig. 3 is a central sectional view of the key with parts in elevation,and

Fig. 4 is an end view of the key.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the invention is shownas embodied in a key which is indicated generally at H]. As shown thekey includes a body portion H and a shank l2. The shank is provided withthe usual grooves 13 and notches M, which permit it to properly m andoperate a companion lock.

As shown the key body portion includes seven sides of an octagon withthe shank Ii. projecting from the eighth side of the octagon. Thisconstruction provides the body with two side edges which are parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the body and shank. The construction alsoprovides an end edge which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe body and shank. The key body has plane faces [5 and I6 and hasflanged edges H which are shown as perpendicular to the face.

The key shown is provided with a hole 58 by means of which it may beattached to a key ring or chain as desired.

The body portion on each side is provided with a generally pyramidalprotuberance ill which has faces 2!) converging to a flat top 2|. Thetop 2| of each protuberance has side edges and an end edge which areparallel to the associated body edges.

The protuberances l9 are disposed adjacent to the hole I8 and aresymmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the key, whichaxis, as shown, coincides with a diameter of the hole 53. When the keyrests upon a flat surface and the body of the key is rocked to theposition shown in Fig. 3 or to the position shown in Fig. 4 such rockingaction will take place with one entire edge of the planar top 2| of theprotuberance as a fulcrum. Thus there will be no fulcrum point and nomarring of the surface on which the key rests will occur. Also, the keywhen rocked to the position shown in Fig. 3 or 4 will have its bodycontact the supporting surface in a line contact and there will be nomarring which would occur were the contact a point contact.

The key may be lifted readily while in the position shown in Fig. 3, orby applying pressure at the area 24 in Fig. 3 the key may be raised tothe dotted line position in Fig. 3, allowing it to be more easilylifted.

In use when the key is disposed on a flat surface S as shown in Figs. 1and l, the forefinger may be placed as shown in Fig. 1 in engagementwith the key at 2'2 and the thumb may be moved under the key as at 23 inFig. 1. This will allow the key to be raised.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the applicanthas provided a novel means by which a key may be quickly picked up.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A. key including a body and a projecting shank, said body havingspaced faces, said body having a hole therein, the hole being disposedadjacent to the end of the body which is remote from the shank, saidbody on each face thereof having a projecting protuberance, eachprotuberance being disposed remote from the location where the shankjoins the key body, each protuberance converging to a rectangular planartop, each protuberance being adjacent to said hole, each side edge ofsaid planar top of each protuberance forming a fulcrum line upon whichthe key may be turned to bring the edge of the body into engagement withthe surface upon which the key rests and the end edge of the planar topof each protuberance which is remote from the shank forming a fulcrumline about which the key may be turned to bring the edge of the bodywhich is remote from the shank into engagement with the surface uponwhich the key rests, each protuberance rising above the adjacent face ofthe key a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the key.

2. A key including a body and a shank, said body having substantiallyplanar spaced faces including seven sides of an octagon with the shankforming an extension of the eighth side, the body being arranged so thattwo sides thereof are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe body and shank and so that the end which is remote from the shank issubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body andshank, said body having a hole therein, the hole being disposed adjacentto said end of the body which is remote from the shank, said body oneach face thereof having a projecting rectangular pyramidalprotuberance, each protuberance being disposed remote from the locationwhere the shank joins the key body, each protuberance converging to arectangular planar top which is parallel to the adjacent planar face ofthe body, the side edges of each protuberance and of the flat topthereof being parallel to the said two sides of the body and the endedge of each 2 protuberance which is remote from the shank and the flattop edge of each protuberance which is remote from the shank beingparallel to said end which is remote from the shank, said end edge ofeach protuberance being adjacent to said hole, each side edge of saidflat top of each protuberance forming a fulcrum line upon which the keymay be turned about an axis which is parallel to its longitudinal axisof the body and shank to bring either of the associated entire sideedges of the body into engagement with the surface upon which the keyrests and the end edge of the flat top of each protuberance which isremote from the shank forming a fulcrum line about which the key may beturned about an axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe body and shank to bring the associated entire end edge of the bodywhich is remote from the shank into engagement with the surface uponwhich the key rests, each protuberance rising above the adjacent face ofthe key a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the key.

3. A key including abody and a projecting shank, said body havin spacedraces, said body having a hole therein, said body on each face thereofhaving a projecting protuberance, each protuberanc being spaced from thelocation where the shank joins the key body, each protuberanceconverging to a planar top, each pro tuberance having spaced side edges,each side edge of said planar top of each protuberance forming a fulcrumline upon which the key may be turned to bring one edge of the body intoengagement with the surface upon which the key rests, each protuberancerising above the adjacent face of the key a, distance substantiallyequal to the thickness of the key.

BURNIE J. CRAIG.

'i'teferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 1,244,450 Christoph Oct. 23, 1917 1,692,686 NicholsNov. 20, 1923 1,816,642 Fetter July 2S, 1981 2,065,29 Simon Dec. 22,1936 2,065,468 Keil Dec. 22, 1936

